Food Plots

[The_King48]

I hunt 240 acres of private property.. Behind that there is about 3 1/2 sections of state land that is basicallyland locked. There are a "few" very few fields that have beans otherwise its all CRP and riverland... I would like to put a food plot in for the deer.. Thinking corn since its in NW MN and the winters get really long there..... How many acers should a guy plant? Any other tips are good too.

[InTheNorthwoods]

If you are planning to put corn in, you better be planning to go all out. To have a successful stand of corn requires considerable equipment, land preparation, and time/money. So in that sense, if its corn you want, grow enough to get your costs back and be able to leave the rest for the deer. Too small a corn field and it will get destroyed before season. Bare minimum of around 10 acres I'd guess.

If its a hunting plot, there are a number of different green blends (clovers, brassicas, etc.) that are pretty attractive to deer. I would try a few different ones and see what the deer prefer. These can be planted successfully without the work that a crop like corn requires.

[madbomber10]

I dont really know what the makeup of your land is but I would plant a variety of things with corn being devoted to the most acres. If you really want to encourage deer to visit your property you need to provide a year round food supply. Not just fall and winter, but something for every part of the year. A lot of people who intensively manage food plots will plant a summer/winter plot right next to one another and split the acres in half. This will do two things; provide a consistant food source and allow you to better pattern your herd.

Just a personal observation...rye in my opinion is something that deer enjoy.

[vister]

how many acres are you able to plant? if you're able to plant a minimum of 10, id plant a 20ft wide perimeter of greens around a field of corn. maybe wider than 20 ft too. i'd overseed the perimeter with clovers and brassicas, or straight up rye. rye is very good weed control. too small a cornfield, and the deer will rip the corn apart before any ears are even set!

or else, i'd plant soybeans in the perimeter. deer will leave the corn alone for sure then, as they LOVE the tender greens of soybeans, and especially once beans go to pod. once the beans get a bit too hard, deer start looking for corn, usually.